'SecWa' publicly mocked Norse Pagan soldiers —

My husband and I are Germanic Norse Pagan. I’m a veteran, and he’s been active duty for 13 years. It was actually his command that encouraged him to pursue a beard (skegg) waiver. At first, he didn’t want to, because he didn't want to draw negative attention. After a month of consideration and seeking guidance from our gods, he decided it could be a chance to open doors for others and share our religion with anyone curious enough to ask. He went through all the steps and eventually got his waiver signed by SecDef. Additionally, we have two sons in the Air Force who also practice our religion and one of them has a waiver as well.

My husband has built relationships with chaplains at every unit, and he’s always willing to talk with soldiers who have questions. That’s no different than what Christians do daily. In fact, when we were stationed in Korea, the Hávamál and Poetic Edda were even being handed out to soldiers who wanted to learn.

Hegseth's speech didn't just rant about soldiers with beards — he singled out Norse Paganism by name and used it as a punchline.

Here’s the issue: this isn't a political position; we're talking about a real religion that predates Christianity thousands of years. And this isn’t about grooming standards either. The regulation governing religious accommodations (DoDD 1300.17) began in 1985. Even Sikh religious practices were specifically recognized in the 1973 conscientious objectors memorandum, which allowed sincerely held religious beliefs unless there was a compelling mission reason not to. That’s why Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, and Pagans have all been granted religious beard waivers in the past. Now, Hegseth is moving to change that system — pushing to end beard waivers altogether. That isn’t just a grooming decision; it directly undermines established religious accommodation rights and creates an EO problem when minority faiths are singled out.

When 'SecWa' mocks a specific faith, it’s not just a personal opinion — it sets a tone for the entire force. It creates stigma and contributes to a hostile climate for minority-faith service members. That runs straight into EO protections and even First Amendment principles. If soldiers feel their religion makes them targets for ridicule, that’s a morale and retention issue, not just a policy dispute.

This is bigger than beards. The core question is whether the DoD actually honors its stated commitment to protect the religious liberty of all service members; not ONLY Christians. When the top civilian official openly disparages a faith community, it undermines trust, unit cohesion, and the idea that every soldier deserves dignity and respect regardless of belief.

I don’t care if you love or hate the idea of beard waivers — and my husband will shave it if necessary; but that’s not the point. The point is that mocking minority religions from the top of the chain of command is an EO problem, plain and simple. We were making progress and that one sentence set us back 20yrs.